TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentral TechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Moves afoot to fix Eskom’s debt problem

      4 July 2022

      Audi South Africa to offer free connectivity upgrades

      4 July 2022

      Shock fuel price increase announced

      4 July 2022

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Wiocc’s data centre business, OADC, appoints CEO

      4 July 2022
    • World

      Tether fails to calm jittery nerves

      4 July 2022

      EU to impose wide-ranging new rules on the crypto industry

      3 July 2022

      Crypto hedge fund Three Arrows files for bankruptcy

      3 July 2022

      Meta girds for ‘fierce’ headwinds

      1 July 2022

      Graphics card prices plummet as crypto demand dries up

      30 June 2022
    • In-depth

      The NFT party is over

      30 June 2022

      The great crypto crash: the fallout, and what happens next

      22 June 2022

      Goodbye, Internet Explorer – you really won’t be missed

      19 June 2022

      Oracle’s database dominance threatened by rise of cloud-first rivals

      13 June 2022

      Everything Apple announced at WWDC – in less than 500 words

      7 June 2022
    • Podcasts

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E06 – ‘Apple Silicon’

      15 June 2022

      The youth might just save us

      15 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E05 – ‘Nvidia: The Green Goblin’

      8 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E04 – ‘The story of Intel – part 2’

      1 June 2022
    • Opinion

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022

      Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

      13 June 2022

      A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

      19 May 2022

      From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

      19 April 2022

      How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

      8 April 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»News»Ethiopia sets date for big telecoms auction

    Ethiopia sets date for big telecoms auction

    News By Agency Staff10 September 2020
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    Ethiopia has set a new deadline of February 2021 to complete the partial privatisation of the country’s telecommunications industry, with carriers such as Orange, Vodafone Group and MTN Group keen to expand into a market of more than 100 million people.

    Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration is looking to auction two new mobile network licences and sell a minority stake in the state-owned monopoly Ethio Telecom. The plan was set for earlier this year but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, regulatory complexities and a thwarted attempt to hold national elections.

    “We have a February, January timeline for both processes,” Eyob Tekalign, the state minister of finance, said after presenting an update on the process to government officials in Addis Ababa this week. “The reform is fully on track.”

    Orange is a strong candidate to win one of the two new licences, according to people familiar with the matter

    Liberalisation of the telecoms industry is at the forefront of what Abiy said in mid-2018 would be the wide-ranging privatisation of several industries, including sugar, rail and industrial parks. The plan was intended to bring in much needed foreign exchange and boost the economy, while improving connectivity across the Horn of Africa nation.

    Orange is a strong candidate to win one of the two new licences, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the process is ongoing. A spokesman for the Paris-based company reiterated the carrier’s interest in entering the country and said the firm is working on the right proposal.

    Expressions of interest

    MTN Group and a consortium led by the UK’s Vodafone Group are also in the running, two of the people said. Both were on a list of companies that submitted expressions of interest released by the government in June.

    “The Ethiopian authorities have said that 12 directives will be issued that will enable us to put together a business case and an investment case,” a spokeswoman for MTN said in an e-mailed response to questions. “This is still work in progress and we have not yet made any decision on the opportunity.”

    Vodafone declined to comment.

    The sale of a stake in Ethio Telecom is proving tougher to organise, the two people said. That’s in part due to the the size of the 40% stake, one of them said. Deloitte is advising the government on the deal.

    Ethio Telecom didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Deloitte declined to comment. MTN confirmed it is one of the carriers to have expressed an interest in the stake.

    Telecoms companies have long coveted Ethiopia as one of the last major untapped markets in the world.

    “We have finalised the valuation of the spectrum,” Eyob said. “There is very, very strong interest across the world — companies from Asia, Europe, Africa.”  — Reported by Simon Marks, Loni Prinsloo and Samuel Gebre, (c) 2020 Bloomberg LP

    Abiy Ahmed Ethio Telecom Eyob Tekalign MTN Orange top Vodafone
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleMicrosoft’s next-gen Xbox game plan has big problems
    Next Article Absa Group CIO Wilhelm Krige on the big Barclays de-merger

    Related Posts

    The MSP value proposition has evolved – here’s why it matters

    4 July 2022

    Moves afoot to fix Eskom’s debt problem

    4 July 2022

    Audi South Africa to offer free connectivity upgrades

    4 July 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    The MSP value proposition has evolved – here’s why it matters

    4 July 2022

    Presenting the cloud finance in South Africa survey with AWCape and Sage

    4 July 2022

    The Equiano cable has landed

    4 July 2022
    Opinion

    Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

    21 June 2022

    Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

    13 June 2022

    A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

    19 May 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.